The Story

From childhood, Richard Oldham was obsessed with anything related to transportation. His horse from his teen years [Stargo’s namesake] carried him through the Arizona outback and even to school on ‘most days’.

By the age of 10 he was figuring out how to work on cars and by 19 he was flying planes. Thus, the Collector Car Mantra: “If it rides, drives, floats or flies… We’re In!”

Today, at 81, he is hoping to retire so he can write more and work a little less, enjoying his animals [there are pictures here of the amazing animals his work has saved from slaughter] and his ‘spare time’ — what there is of it — it dedicated to those endeavors.

History has always held a fascination for him and he has served numerous times on the Arizona Historical Society Board, twice as President.

“It’s amazing to me, as significant a part as our horses and donkeys initially played in the formation of the foundation for today’s society, that we are now casting them aside and removing them from America’s landscape.

”These animals helped forge this nation into what it has become, carrying our burdens and quite literally working shoulder to shoulder with this nation’s founders to lay the groundwork for the vast transportation networks that allowed us to begin building businesses and transporting product.

Without them, roads and railways would not have gained the ground they did in the timeframes these endeavors were created.